gaster

noun

gas·​ter ˈga-stər How to pronounce gaster (audio)
: the enlarged part of the abdomen behind the pedicel in hymenopterous insects (such as ants)

Examples of gaster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But the ants' hind parts don't go totally to waste; when given an entire ant to eat, the spiders would eat some of that, too, perhaps because certain nutrients are found chiefly in the gaster. Allison Bond, Discover Magazine, 15 May 2010 Repletes gorge until their gasters, or the back end of their bodies, swell with the sweet stuff. Liz Langley, National Geographic, 30 Oct. 2019 Using a type of fluorescent microscopy, researchers from Pennsylvania State University watched fungal colonization in ants from the gaster, the rear end of the abdomen, to the head—and found no trace of fungal cells in the brain. Jennifer Lu, National Geographic, 18 Apr. 2019 The winter ants also store their food reserves in their gasters, or rear ends, which gives them a pretty spectacular silhouette. Aimee Levitt, Chicago Reader, 6 Sep. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Greek gastēr

First Known Use

circa 1909, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gaster was circa 1909

Dictionary Entries Near gaster

Cite this Entry

“Gaster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gaster. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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